Head coach Doc Rivers was interviewed late Thursday night after the 76ers lost 102-94 on the road against the Pistons. An unknown source after the game stated, “Doc isn’t blaming the bench for the Sixers’ loss tonight. It was more James than them.” For the first three quarters of the game, the Sixers had full control on the court.
Though, James Harden disappeared during crunch time. While contributing just four points in the second half, the 10-time All-Star also shot 1-for-8 from the field. Not to mention, Detroit outscored Philadelphia 29-15 in the fourth quarter.
Harden ended his performance with 18 points, 9.0 rebounds and 7.0 assists in 38 minutes played. Could a lingering hamstring injury be the problem for Harden? Joel Embiid finished with a double-double, amassing 37 points, 15 rebounds and 3.0 assists in 37 minutes of action. Therefore, perhaps Coach Rivers has a point. Having said that, the bench didn’t exactly play lights out; they were 0-for-5 in the first half.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rcgZ4nNyJAk
In addition to the Pistons outscoring the 76ers 54-44 in the paint, defense for both teams was nonexistent late in the fourth quarter. A now 21-win Pistons’ team has valid excuses for playing awful this season. The 76ers? Not so much. Philadelphia has one of the healthiest rosters in the league. The team’s recent struggles are puzzling for Coach Rivers.
James Harden is a terrific scorer, which explains why the Sixers traded away Ben Simmons, Seth Curry, Andre Drummond and a couple of draft picks in a packaged deal. Harden’s salary this season is set at $43.848 million. The Sixers should be dominating their opponents right about now, but they are currently on a three-game skid.
Needless to say, Harden has earned the reputation of slacking off on the court defensively. Doc Rivers is taking note of this problem. Harden finished with 125 steals back in the 2019-20 season, ranking first overall in the league. So, he can dominate when he feels like it. And, he should work on becoming a better team player.
At this point, will the 32-year-old ever work towards improving team chemistry? Probably not. In all fairness, however, the modern NBA nowadays minimizes the importance of defensive basketball while encouraging the development of super teams.
For a high-scoring league, the guard has to find a way to finish stronger in the fourth quarter, and this would please Coach Rivers. Following this defeat, the Sixers rank fourth in the Eastern Conference.
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